The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is advising pet owners and caretakers, veterinarians, and the pet food industry to be aware that pet food and treats made with livestock gullets (meat from the throat region) have the potential to contain thyroid tissue and thyroid hormones. Pets that eat food or treats containing thyroid hormones may develop hyperthyroidism, a disease that is rare in dogs and usually triggered by thyroid cancer.

After two recent pet food recalls (Blue Buffalo and Wellness), FDA is issuing a warning/alert to consumers, vets, and the pet food industry regarding the risk to pets of food and treats made with “livestock gullets”. The FDA alert continues…

The FDA is issuing this alert now after a recent Center for Veterinary Medicine investigation into reports of three dogs in different households that showed signs of hyperthyroidism. In these cases, extensive testing on all three dogs conducted at a reference laboratory showed elevated thyroid hormone in the blood, but ruled out thyroid cancer. Reference lab interviews with the dogs’ owners revealed that all three dogs had been fed BLUE Wilderness® Rocky Mountain Recipe TM Red Meat Dinner Wet Food for Adult Dogs and/or Wellness 95% Beef Topper for Dogs.

Based on the recommendation of the reference lab’s consulting veterinarian, the feeding of these dog foods was discontinued. After the dogs stopped eating these products for a few weeks, their clinical signs disappeared and thyroid hormone levels returned to normal. An FDA lab tested unopened cans of BLUE Wilderness® Rocky Mountain Recipe TM Red Meat Dinner Wet Food for Adult Dogs and Wellness 95% Beef Topper for Dogs and confirmed that they contained active thyroid hormone. The source of thyroid hormones is likely from the use of gullets from which the thyroid glands were not completely removed before adding to pet food or treats.

The FDA provided significant information to veterinarians including clinical information of the dogs previously diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. This is a needed step from FDA helping veterinarians to diagnose a pet food related illness (something we don’t see very often from FDA).

The FDA also provided some information to the pet food industry, but stopped short of prohibiting the material in pet food. Interestingly, FDA noted in their pet food alert – “USDA prohibits the use of thyroid glands and laryngeal muscle tissue for human food.” USDA takes such a strong stance against the use of thyroid glands in human food (example ground beef) because of the known risk of human hyperthyroidism from consuming this material. But again – FDA does not prohibit this material in pet food, they only advise pet food manufacturers to “carefully assess their suppliers’ practices and take steps to ensure that they are receiving raw materials and ingredients that do not contain thyroid hormone secreting tissue.”

Will pet food manufacturers actually ‘carefully assess their suppliers’? We don’t know. The best a pet food consumer can do is question their manufacturer if they will guarantee (in writing) no livestock gullets are used in the pet food. And consumers should be well aware of the symptoms: “Symptoms of hyperthyroidism include excessive thirst and urination, weight loss, increased appetite, restlessness, hyperactivity, elevated heart rate, rapid and/or labored breathing, vomiting, and diarrhea.” Should you see any of these symptoms in your pet, consult with your veterinarian immediately. And report the issue to FDA (Click Here).

We thank the FDA for the consumer alert and the alert/information to veterinarians…but…FDA, it is more than apparent livestock gullets should be prohibited for use in pet food (just like in human food). Stop this. Consider prevention instead of alerts after death and illness occurs.

Great……like every pet food has meat or meat meal listed. Talk about a decision for pet parents……but nobody is going to be sure what to base that decision on. If we wind up feeding something that kills our babies or makes them sick, we have to live w/that, not these damn pet food manufacturers. As long as the money keeps pouring in, what do they care…….I still wonder how they sleep at night in their million dollar mansions.

Some is any news I suppose. But it’s a little frustrating when the FDA identified a problem, and no solution. All they’d have to do is require manufacturers to list it (specifically). And then, by the order of additions listed, would help us to know the relative percentage. Obviously, it’s seriously enough of an issue or Wellness and BB wouldn’t have “voluntarily” recalled. But at what point, are these meat suppliers EVER going to be held accountable themselves??

That would sure be a nice piece of additional criteria. Probably more so, concerning PF that’s not on the list though. Like in the Petsumer Report. Because it shouldn’t be a factor in food fit for (or nearly fit for) human consumption. And there IS a difference between ingredients fit for human consumption, without going the extra step of processing in a facility certified for human food consumption. Which is a distinction, that I “believe” only The Honest Kitchen and Just Food For Dogs, have so far.

I’m wondering how much of this accountability falls back on the suppliers of protein. Can they “jam” in all kinds of parts and pieces. Or can ethical PF manufacturers contract with suppliers to keep “livestock gullets” to a safe minimum?

I emailed All Provide yesterday & asked if they used livestock gullets (& referenced the FDA announcement) in their food. They emailed me this morning & said – “I am pleased to confirm that we do NOT use gullets or thyroid in any of our products.” I’ve been feeding their “gently cooked” food for the last several months & have been pleased with it. I like it when the company responds quickly & with the answer I like to hear!

I would CALL them and ask. And if the primary customer representative can’t answer a simple question, then work your way up the line. Every consumer has a right to know what they’re paying for! It would be nice to share your response here.

More than 10 years ago when I first met Dr. Dodds with my hypothyroid dog she warned me of exactly this- and also told me to stop feeding my dog the trachea treat I was feeding her to chew on because she warned me that the treat contained the thyroid hormones from harvesting so close to the thyroid and was causing the hypothyroidism in my dog. Great job, FDA, for picking up on this 10 years too late.

I had a cat with hyperthyroidism, had to give her medication for it. She was on a frozen raw diet for most of her life, usually the Primal brand, other times Nature’s Variety. In my searches, I read that deep sea fish were not a good thing to give cats habitually, because of their iodine content, which could lead to, or exacerbate, hyperthyroidism.

After that, I tried to find raw food formulae without fish, which was doable but not as easy, plus of course the cats did not care for it as much. Plain chicken or turkey was boring to their jaded palates I guess.

However, I did try a new formula I found that boasted “green-lipped mussel” as its star ingredient. I didn’t specifically care about that, but what I liked about the formula was it did not have a plethora of added, synthetic vitamin products in it. With aging cats and their kidneys, already in some stage of renal failure, I felt they didn’t need to stress their kidneys with any of that b.s., not if the raw formulae were as complete as they were touted to be. I believe the brand was Feline Naturals, and the product came frozen in small trays.

So, the first time I fed some of this to TigerLily, she didn’t just like it – she loved it. She only weighed six pounds, but she chowed down half a pound of the stuff in one night. Next, she started zooming around the house like a maniac. She acted like a 3-month old kitten, leaping up onto the windowsills like she had not done in years, being 19 years of age at that point. It did not take me long to put two and two together. Horrified, I returned the product to the store. I then sat down and wrote a detailed email to Feline Naturals about my experience, and asked them about the iodine issue, and if they had another formula without it.

They never bothered to respond. I imagine their legal department advised them not to. Four years later, I see they still have a product with the green-lipped mussels in it. Do these people ever think through what they put in their pet food? I mean, the ones who claim to be all about feline nutrition. We already know the process by which the mainstream pet food processors formulate their products. :-/

Green lipped mussels are an AMAZING marine source of omega3 for cats and dogs. The joint relief and anti-inflammatory properties from GLM is what your kitty was enjoying, and it is what made her feel like a kittwn again. I actually ADD GLM to my dog’s raw food twice daily. If you look on a few reputable holistic pages, they rave about GLM. It is an excellent (and superior) option to fish to get omega 3 in a dog or cats diet! It is extra good to give to old pets….

[…] Pet food have thyroid and other hormonal additives. Such dogs tend to become seriously ill because of hormonal imbalance. This is against nature and in some countries it is against law as well. […]